coyote 4 play

c4p is a tough one to describe. basically it's an invite only four day ultrarunning event. if you are willing and able you can add two big days before the event called scrub runs where you run the backbone trail (70 miles) through the santa monica mountains. with the scrub runs and some boner miles (that is what they call em) i got about 204 miles of running in 6 days. my biggest running week by like 80 miles! very fun, entertaining and exciting... i got to meet ultrarunning royalty and run with them in the most amazing terrain.

scrub runs:
tues - 38 miles with 8,200 feet of gain on the backbone trail in the santa monica mountains.
wed - 32 miles (lost elevation data but i think it was 6,400 ft)

official 2007 coyote 4 play start:
thurs- 7 mile loop up and down ray miller trail (1100 feet of gain) in a hail and crazy wind/rain
fri - 51 miles 12,000 feet of gain with an amazing summit of topatopa!
sat- 44 miles 8,200 feet of gain (added 4 miles getting lost - boner miles!)
sun- 32 miles 6,400 feet of gain (2 boner miles probably)


i twisted my ankle on day one of the scrub runs. it hurt but held up nicely through the 50 mile day and then ballooned that night in the tent. i was pretty concerned. with dinners after every run and camping, there was no real time to take care of yourself, ie ice and or rest. on the morning of the 40 mile day i woke up and told krissy i wasn't going - my ankle was huge! then as i laid there contemplating my next move something blake wood had said to me two nights before popped into my head. he said "i had a breakthrough at c4p. i woke up one day and just didn't think it was possible to go out and run again. but i did. and after a few hours i was feeling good and i realized my body can do this. it was amazing". that got me up and although the first 4 hrs of the 40 mile day hurt like hell i got it done.. then ran the 31 miles the next day too. i ran every mile of trail set out in front of me, often with a grimas, but i loved every minute of it.

i have to thank howard cohen (pictured above) and chris scott for letting a nobody like me attend their amazing event.. and for their hospitality - they made me feel like one of the gang.

ps: as i typed this i polished off a well earned pint of ben & jerry's chubby hubby. so good yet so bad (don't read the label!)